This album recap ain't got nothin' but the blues

When Alligator Records launched in 1971, it did so with the motto "Genuine Houserockin' Music." The phrase was inspired by the blues label's first artist, the ultra-raw and rambunctious Hound Dog Taylor.

Forty-five years later, Alligator, based in Chicago, is still living up to its mission. And, as the two-CD 45th Anniversary Collection (****) shows, the label's idea of what fits under that "houserockin' music" umbrella is pretty expansive. Such variety is one of the reasons behind the continuing vitality of the blues. The artists on this collection, and the others spotlighted in this exceedingly slim sample, are all doing their part to keep the music relevant.

The Alligator set includes Taylor and other old masters who have passed on, including Koko Taylor, Albert Collins, and Luther Allison, as well as some who are still with us, such as James Cotton, Charlie Musselwhite, and Elvin Bishop. The late Johnny Winter and younger firebrands from Shemekia Copeland to Anders Osborne bring a rock-edged intensity, and Tommy Castro and Curtis Salgado lean toward soul.

Two bluesmen on the Alligator set - the always intense Joe Louis Walker (at Arden Gild Hall on Oct. 12) and Billy Boy Arnold - also turn up on Stony Plain: 40 Years (****). The three-CD set skims some of the cream from four decades of the Canadian roots label. Amid selections of country and folk (including by well-known Americans such as Emmylou Harris and Steve Earle), there is a rich trove of blues. It ranges from the irresistible jump-blues of Kenny "Blues Boss" Wayne and the supper-club elegance of Jay McShann to acoustic country blues by Maria Muldaur, Ruthie Foster, and the late Jeff Healey, among others. Other highlights include Paul Reddick mesmerizing with the brooding "Mourning Dove" and Duke Robillard offering a funky but sophisticated instrumental romp through Amy Winehouse's "Rehab."

Steve Dawson, a Canadian now based in Nashville, has done extensive production and session work in addition to making his own music. With Solid States and Loose Ends (Black Hen, ***1/2) he delivers his best effort yet. It's a fully realized affair that showcases Dawson's mastery of both electric and acoustic guitar styles in the service of songs that flow easily from the blues to incorporate elements of country, soul, and gospel. And his penetrating originals sit easily alongside his stellar takes on numbers from the traditional "Delia" to Joe Tex's "You Got What It Takes."

The Golden State Lone Star Blues Revue is the accurate if unwieldy name of a quintet fronted by two Californians - singer and harmonica ace Mark Hummel and guitarist Little Charlie Baty - and a Texan - guitarist Anson Funderburgh. Their self-titled debut (Electro-Fi, ***1/2) is a blast from start to finish. Augmented by horns and keyboards, the band effortlessly melds California and Texas as well as Chicago blues on a set of originals and covers. The chemistry is also evident in the way the jazzier, on-the-edge six-string stylings of Baty mesh with the more stinging straightforwardness of Funderburgh. Amid the timeless sounds, bassist R.W. Grigsby adds a touch of topicality with his "Detroit Blues," which laments the effects of the mortgage crisis.

The cover of Clint Morgan's album could give the wrong impression. The artist is pictured grinning in a mug-shot-style photo while holding a sign with the album title - Scofflaw. But this is no goof. Scofflaw (Lost Cause, ****) is a sweeping conceptual masterpiece of Americana, a bluesier variation of a Tom Russell epic.

The piano-playing lawyer draws on some of the great outlaws of American history, from the Old West to the Depression to modern times. He brings these characters to vivid life in the gritty, down-to-earth manner that characterizes the deeply infectious music. And sprinkled in with his top-flight originals are terrific takes on numbers such as Bob Dylan's "Wanted Man," David Allan Coe's "I Love Robbing Banks," and the Bessie Smith classic "Send Me to the 'Lectric Chair," a duet with blues belter Diunna Greenleaf.

As though to alleviate the darkness at the heart of much of the music, Morgan ends on notes of redemption that don't feel cheap or forced. They include a duet with Maria Muldaur on her gospel-flavored blues "I Done Made It Up in My Mind" before he closes this supremely inspired set where it (seemingly incongruously) began - with a children's choir singing "This Little Light of Mine."

ncristiano@phillynews.com

@NickCristiano

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Here are some coming shows featuring notable blues and roots performers:

Made in America Festival

Sept. 4: Gary Clark Jr.

World Cafe Live Wilmington

Sept. 13: Marcia Ball

Sept. 17: Gina Sicilia

Tin Angel

Sept. 16: Gina Sicilia

Sellersville Theater

Sept. 14: Marcia Ball

Sept. 23: Sonny Landreth

Sept. 24: Chris Smither

Keswick Theater

Sept. 23: Buddy Guy

Oct. 7: David Bromberg

Arden Gild Hall

Oct. 12: Joe Louis Walker

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